Chapter Summaries

Sun Buxiao reassured Qing Lin, a mixed-blood child he had bought, and promised to teach her cultivation. The next day, as the Desert Iron Mercenary Group drew recruits, Mo Ran of the Sand Mercenary Group arrived to challenge its Da Dou Shi backing.

• Sun Buxiao told Qing Lin not to call him master and promised to teach her Qi Refining and cultivation.
• Qing Lin asked whether Sun Buxiao hated or feared her, and he reassured her that she could live for herself before stopping her from kneeling.
• After Qing Lin left, Sun Buxiao considered the power of her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and planned to investigate the Green Lotus Core Flame.
• The Desert Iron Mercenary Group's registration desk filled with recruits after word spread that a Da Dou Shi backed the group.
• Mo Ran arrived at the compound and demanded to see the group's Da Dou Shi.

Sun Buxiao confronted Mo Ran of the Sand Mercenary Group after Mo Ran came looking for him in Stone Desert City. Sun Buxiao defeated him with one kick, then recruited new members while Xiao Ding worried about the Sand Mercenary Group's retaliation.

• Xiao Li told Sun Buxiao that Mo Ran, a Da Dou Shi from the Sand Mercenary Group, had arrived to see him, and Sun Buxiao left Qing Lin to continue practicing Qi Refining.
• Mo Ran mocked Sun Buxiao and displayed his Dou Qi Armor, but Sun Buxiao revealed that he was also a Da Dou Shi and challenged him to guess his rank.
• Mo Ran attacked Sun Buxiao with Earthburst Star Astral Force, and Sun Buxiao struck him with Ink Poison Kick, sending him crashing through a house.
• Sun Buxiao spared Mo Ran's life and began recruiting for the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, drawing a rush of applicants.
• Xiao Ding thanked Sun Buxiao but worried that the Sand Mercenary Group would retaliate.

Sun Buxiao consolidated the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and confronted Luo Bu after the Sand Mercenary Group captain returned to Stone Desert City. He defeated Luo Bu, poisoned him as insurance, and demanded his loyalty to himself, Xiao Ding, and Xiao Li.

• Sun Buxiao learned that 112 people had joined the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, and Xiao Ding agreed to focus on running it and growing stronger.
• The Desert Iron Mercenary Group established its structure, and some recruits left Stone Desert City on missions.
• Luo Bu returned and learned from the bedridden Mo Ran that Sun Buxiao had injured him and founded a rival mercenary group.
• Sun Buxiao explained that he had sold Luo Bu's Heavenblood Sickle Mantis weapon to Mittel before defeating Luo Bu in a fight.
• Sun Buxiao poisoned Luo Bu, gave him a month's supply of antidote, and demanded that he pledge loyalty to Sun Buxiao, Xiao Ding, and Xiao Li.

After taking control of Stone Desert City, Sun Buxiao left Qing Lin in Xiao Ding’s care and traveled into the Tagor Desert to locate a heavenly flame for Hai Bodong. He was repeatedly attacked by Snake-People, and the chapter left him still searching the dangerous desert.

• Sun Buxiao ordered Xiao Ding to absorb the Sand Mercenary Group into the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and strengthen their hold on Stone Desert City.
• Sun Buxiao asked Xiao Ding to teach Qing Lin a wood attribute cultivation method and protect her from discrimination while he was away.
• Sun Buxiao gave Xiao Ding two months of antidotes for Luo Bu and Mo Ran and explained that he planned to search the Tagor Desert for a heavenly flame.
• Sun Buxiao rejected Xiao Ding’s offer to send Xiao Li with him and set out alone into the desert.
• After Snake-People repeatedly attacked him, Sun Buxiao killed several of them and complained about taking Hai Bodong’s job.

Mo Ran considered attacking Sun Buxiao, but Luo Bu warned him with evidence of the poison’s gruesome effects. After returning to Stone Desert City, Sun Buxiao told Xiao Ding a lurid, fabricated account of Hai Bodong’s past to explain his search for Heavenly Flames.

• Mo Ran proposed killing Xiao Ding and Xiao Li and abducting Qing Lin to force Sun Buxiao to cure their poison, but Luo Bu showed him the remains of a slave trader who had died from it and urged him to stay alive.
• Luo Bu refused to join Mo Ran in any attack and returned to his room.
• A month later, Sun Buxiao returned to Stone Desert City after searching for Heavenly Flames and complained about encountering Snake-People repeatedly.
• Xiao Ding told Sun Buxiao that Luo Bu and Mo Ran had behaved themselves, then asked why people sought Heavenly Flames.
• Sun Buxiao covered Qing Lin’s ears and told Xiao Ding an outrageous story about Hai Bodong being captured by Snake-People, claiming it explained why the Ice Emperor went into seclusion.

Sun Buxiao traveled with Qing Lin through the Magical Beast Mountain Range toward the Black-Corner Region while a rumor about Hai Bodong and the Snake-People stirred trouble in Desert City. In the Snake-People Tribe, Medusa reaffirmed her plan to fuse with a heavenly flame and advance to Dou Zong, though she needed several years to prepare.

• A Mittel Family servant told Hai Bodong that rumors were circulating about him and the Snake-People, prompting him to roar in anger at Sun Buxiao.
• Sun Buxiao noticed that Hai Bodong had apparently been caught up in trouble and continued traveling with Qing Lin toward the Black-Corner Region.
• Sun Buxiao discussed Qing Lin's training and encouraged her as she traveled through the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
• Medusa questioned Yin Shi and the other Snake-People experts about the rumors, and they denied having targeted Hai Bodong.
• Medusa told Hua She'er, Yin Shi, the chiefs, and the four elders that she planned to fuse with a heavenly flame to break through to Dou Zong, but needed several years to prepare.

Sun Buxiao and Qing Lin entered Qingshan Town, where Sun Buxiao found Xiao Yi Xian and recognized her Woeful Poison Body. Xiao Yi Xian feared the infamous Sun Buxiao, but he offered to explain her constitution and left her to decide whether to meet him that night.

• Sun Buxiao brought Qing Lin into Qingshan Town, hoping to find Xiao Yi Xian before she began cultivating.
• Sun Buxiao spotted Xiao Yi Xian giving free consultations and noticed the concealed poison on her.
• Xiao Yi Xian recognized Sun Buxiao by his appearance and reputation, ended her consultations, and tried to leave town.
• Sun Buxiao stopped Xiao Yi Xian, questioned her fear, and said he could tell her what was happening with her constitution.
• Sun Buxiao invited Xiao Yi Xian to meet him at the tavern that night, then left with Qing Lin as Xiao Yi Xian wondered how he knew about her condition.

Sun Buxiao met Xiao Yi Xian and explained that they shared the Woeful Poison Body, which let them cultivate by absorbing toxins but could eventually kill them and poison the land around their corpses. He invited her to join him and grow stronger, leaving Xiao Yi Xian unsure whether she could trust his intentions.

• Qing Lin asked Sun Buxiao about the hooded woman, and he said she likely came from the Chu Yun Empire and had a poisonous scent.
• Sun Buxiao made a cigarette, then welcomed Xiao Yi Xian when she arrived at the tavern and sent Qing Lin to her room.
• Sun Buxiao showed Xiao Yi Xian potent venom and drank wine mixed with it, demonstrating that he could consume poison.
• Sun Buxiao explained the Woeful Poison Body's benefits and dangers, then asked Xiao Yi Xian to join him and become his strength.
• Xiao Yi Xian asked whether Sun Buxiao would harm her if she refused, and he said he would not.

Xiao Yi Xian agreed to leave Qingshan Town with Sun Buxiao and Qing Lin to pursue cultivation. After Sun Buxiao paralyzed Mu Li and two mercenaries without killing them, the group set out for the Black-Corner Region.

• Xiao Yi Xian told Sun Buxiao she had decided to leave Qingshan Town with him and seek strength.
• Mu Li confronted Sun Buxiao and Xiao Yi Xian, demanding to know who Sun Buxiao was and why Xiao Yi Xian was leaving with him.
• Xiao Yi Xian asked Sun Buxiao to teach Mu Li and his two mercenaries a lesson rather than kill them.
• Sun Buxiao blew poison gas at Mu Li and the two mercenaries, leaving them paralyzed for weeks as he and Xiao Yi Xian walked away.
• Sun Buxiao told Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin that they were heading to the Black-Corner Region and that both should focus on cultivation.

Sun Buxiao began training Xiao Yi Xian to cultivate her Woeful Poison Body by consuming poison, explaining how she could eventually condense a Poison Pill. After she endured a painful first dose and gained two stars in cultivation, he gave her a stronger poison-attribute cultivation method.

• Xiao Yi Xian questioned whether smoking smoke from Netherworld Poison Flame was part of cultivation, and Sun Buxiao gave her diluted mantis venom to consume instead.
• Sun Buxiao explained that condensing a Poison Pill required Heavenly Flames, a seventh-rank magical beast Magic Core, and bodhi body-transforming saliva.
• Xiao Yi Xian swallowed the venom, suffered intense pain, and passed out while Sun Buxiao calmly consumed undiluted venom himself.
• Xiao Yi Xian woke that night and discovered that her cultivation had risen from Two-Star Dou Zhe to Four-Star Dou Zhe.
• Sun Buxiao predicted Xiao Yi Xian could reach Da Dou Shi within three years and gave her his profound tier middle grade Black Vein Poison Tome.

Sun Buxiao took Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin through Ghost-Suppressing Pass and across the lawless borderlands toward the Black-Corner Region. He intended to investigate Medicine Emperor Han Feng and scout the area as preparation for establishing a force there.

• Sun Buxiao explained that he planned to conquer the Black-Corner Region and told Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin that he was going to investigate Medicine Emperor Han Feng.
• The trio passed through Ghost-Suppressing Pass and traveled beyond the Jia Ma Empire, where they were robbed three times within a week.
• Sun Buxiao and Xiao Yi Xian killed the bandits, and Sun Buxiao urged the group to hurry through their preliminary investigation before returning for other tasks.
• After two months of traveling, Sun Buxiao, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin arrived at the Black-Corner Region.

Sun Buxiao brought Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin into the Black-Corner Region, where he planned to build a base of power, and learned that Zheng E ruled Earthnight City. When a customer threatened the women, Sun Buxiao killed him in front of the restaurant, insisting they should keep eating.

• Sun Buxiao entered the Black-Corner Region with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin and considered it a suitable place to establish his power.
• The three went to a restaurant in Earthnight City, where the owner warned Sun Buxiao about the dangers of the region and directed them to a corner table.
• Sun Buxiao asked who controlled Earthnight City, and the owner identified its lord as Zheng E, a Three-Star Dou Ling backed by the Kui Wolf Gang.
• A Dou Shi customer threatened Sun Buxiao and the women, demanding that he share them.
• Sun Buxiao slammed the customer’s head into a table, killing him, then told Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to keep eating.

Sun Buxiao decided to seize Earthnight City from Zheng E to build his reputation in the Black-Corner Region. After killing Zheng E's subordinate and confronting the city lord in his manor, Sun Buxiao began their battle.

• Sun Buxiao killed a Dou Shi in a restaurant, shocking Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin with his brutality.
• Sun Buxiao told Xiao Yi Xian that he planned to replace Zheng E as Earthnight City's master to earn a reputation, and urged her and Qing Lin to cultivate.
• Xiao Yi Xian questioned Qing Lin's unquestioning faith in Sun Buxiao, but Qing Lin insisted that he was always right.
• Sun Buxiao found Zheng E enjoying himself with several women in the city lord's manor and prepared to attack with the Netherworld Poison Flame.
• Sun Buxiao crashed through the roof and challenged Zheng E to surrender Earthnight City, but Zheng E responded by attacking with a water-attribute Dou Qi spear.

Sun Buxiao defeated and killed Zheng E with his Netherworld Poison Flame and poison mist, then quickly seized control of Earthnight City. He and Xiao Yi Xian headed to the city lord’s residence to learn what they needed before returning to the Jia Ma Empire.

• Zheng E attacked Sun Buxiao with water-based Dou Techniques, but Sun Buxiao countered with poison and fought back.
• Zheng E unleashed his high-grade Sea Falls Wavebreaker Kill, and Sun Buxiao used the Netherworld Poison Flame to consume the attack and ignite Zheng E’s Dou Qi spear.
• Zheng E recognized the Heavenly Flame and asked who supported Sun Buxiao, while Sun Buxiao questioned him about Maple City and Han Feng.
• Sun Buxiao covered the room in poison mist and burned Zheng E to ashes with a butterfly carrying Heavenly Flame, then took his Storage Ring.
• Sun Buxiao told Xiao Yi Xian he had become the master of Earthnight City by killing Zheng E and other challengers.
• Sun Buxiao and Xiao Yi Xian set out for the city lord’s residence, planning to return to the Jia Ma Empire after finding the information they sought.

In Earthnight City, Sun Buxiao failed to learn where Maple City was or find information about Han Feng, so he invented a scandalous story about Han Feng’s past and ordered it spread through the Black-Corner Region. He then prepared Xiao Yi Xian to cultivate with undiluted poison, while the rumors began circulating on posters.

• Sun Buxiao questioned the former Kui Wolf Gang members about Maple City, then dismissed them after learning they knew nothing about the region’s major cities.
• Sun Buxiao told Xiao Yi Xian he planned to spread a fabricated story claiming Han Feng had entered Starfall Pavilion by selling his ass and fled to the Black-Corner Region after becoming entangled in romantic disputes.
• Sun Buxiao explained that he wanted to disgust Han Feng and weaken a future obstacle to unifying the Black-Corner Region, while helping a friend with a blood feud against Han Feng.
• Sun Buxiao gave Xiao Yi Xian undiluted poison and asked her to try reaching Dou Shi under his supervision.
• A thug and his boss began putting up posters that repeated Sun Buxiao’s fabricated story about Han Feng.

Sun Buxiao left Earthnight City with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin after exploiting the city and helping his companions grow stronger. Han Feng learned that a scandalous poster about him was spreading, while Sun Buxiao later discussed Heavenly Flames with Xiao Yi Xian as they traveled.

• Sun Buxiao decided to leave the Black-Corner Region with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin, who was nearing a breakthrough to Dou Zhe.
• Sun Buxiao took the two girls and fled Earthnight City that night, leaving the city's criminals to fight over who would rule it.
• Han Feng saw a poster mocking his past and ordered his underlings to discover who had made it and where it had spread.
• After traveling for less than a month, Sun Buxiao told Xiao Yi Xian that the Heavenly Flame Ranking had twenty-three entries and that his Netherworld Poison Flame ranked twentieth.

Qing Lin broke through to Dou Zhe, and Sun Buxiao set out with her and Xiao Yi Xian for Wutan City to meet an old acquaintance. Meanwhile, Su Qian investigated the rumors Sun Buxiao had spread, and Sun Buxiao unexpectedly reunited with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li on the road home.

• Qing Lin formed a Dou Qi Vortex and successfully broke through to Dou Zhe while Sun Buxiao and Xiao Yi Xian guarded her.
• Sun Buxiao decided to travel to Wutan City with Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian, explaining that he wanted to see an important scene involving an old acquaintance.
• An instructor showed Su Qian a poster spreading strange rumors about Han Feng and Starfall Pavilion, and Su Qian ordered the academy to confiscate the posters and investigate their source.
• Su Qian considered whether the rumors signaled trouble from the Central Plains, but hoped Jia Nan Academy would stay out of it.
• Sun Buxiao encountered Xiao Ding and Xiao Li in a town on the way to Wutan City, and they said they were returning home to visit their family and check on Little Yanzi.

Sun Buxiao reunited with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li and introduced them to Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin. As they prepared to travel together to Wutan City to visit Little Yanzi, Sun Buxiao shared cigarettes and a valuable movement Dou Technique with the brothers.

• Xiao Ding praised Qing Lin for reaching Dou Zhe, and Sun Buxiao introduced Xiao Yi Xian as his traveling companion.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li agreed to travel with Sun Buxiao to Wutan City to see Little Yanzi, while the Snake-People Tribe's reputation suffered because mercenaries feared its rumored predation on men.
• Xiao Ding said he had reached Nine-Star Dou Shi, Xiao Li said he had reached Four-Star Dou Shi, and Sun Buxiao revealed he was an Eight-Star Da Dou Shi nearing a breakthrough to Dou Ling.
• Sun Buxiao gave Xiao Ding and Xiao Li the Profound Tier Middle Grade Instant Shadow Cloud-Shattering Art, and Xiao Ding resolved to repay him and remain at his side.

Xiao Yan reunited with his brothers, who returned from two years of training with news of their strength and a possible cure for his cultivation problem. Sun Buxiao appeared in the Xiao Clan hall, leaving Xiao Yan stunned by the return of the man he had searched for three years earlier.

• Xiao Xun'er told Xiao Yan that Xiao Ding and Xiao Li had returned, and Xiao Yan struggled with his feelings about meeting them while his cultivation remained at the third stage of Dou power.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li reunited with Xiao Zhan and revealed that Xiao Li had reached four-star Dou Shi while Xiao Ding was close to becoming a Da Dou Shi.
• Xiao Yan joined his brothers, and Xiao Ding said they had met an extraordinary man who might be able to help with Xiao Yan's problem.
• Sun Buxiao entered the front hall, and Xiao Yan recognized the man from their encounter three years earlier.
• Sun Buxiao asked Xiao Yan to call him Brother Sun, then complained when Xiao Yan did not.

Sun Buxiao returned to Wutan City with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, alarming Xiao Xun'er and confusing Xiao Yan with his claims about Xiao Yan's talent. Xiao Yan agreed to speak with Sun Buxiao alone, and Sun Buxiao began by asking him to call him Brother Sun.

• Sun Buxiao told Xiao Zhan that Xiao Yan would eventually regain his talent, while Xiao Li praised Sun Buxiao for helping the Xiao brothers take control of Stone Desert City.
• Xiao Xun'er asked Ling Ying to assess Sun Buxiao, then decided to leave him alone and simply observe him.
• Xiao Zhan asked Xiao Yan to let Sun Buxiao examine him, but Xiao Yan hesitated because he feared the suspiciously powerful man.
• Sun Buxiao said he wanted to discuss something only he and Xiao Yan knew, and Xiao Yan agreed to speak with him.
• Sun Buxiao took Xiao Yan to a private room, drove Ling Ying away, and asked Xiao Yan to call him Brother Sun.